At the end of the 70's American Amateur hockey was feeling the same way as the nation itself. In the twenty years since the Americans first captured their first gold medal in Olympic hockey in 1960, European teams have become increasingly strong compared to the American's, especially the Soviet Union. The Soviets were only amateurs in name; they posted the best hockey team in the world. Even thought the 1980 winter Olympics were at Lake Placid, NY, no one was optimistic that the Americans would win. The goal was not to be embarrassed on home ice.
             So tryouts were held in Colorado. They were being evaluated by the future team's couch, Herb Brooks. Herb Brooks never went to charm school, and if he did, he would've failed. He was abrasive, intense, but he was also the best hockey coach America had to offer (Fischler p260). He had a history with the Olympic team, and was supposedly on the medal winning team in 1960. He was even in the team picture, but Brooks was cut a day before the games started. That left him with something to prove. He was left with a mission. A mission to shake American hockey out of its slumber.
             Then there was the Soviet side. The coach of the Soviet team was Victor Tiekanof. He was behind the iron curtain getting his team ready for the Olympics. But, Victor didn't have any of Herb Brook's problems. The Soviets were the best hockey team in the world; they had a dynasty behind them, which spanned 30 years. They even sported the best goaltender of all time, Vladislav Tretiak. They dominated every team they played against, year after year. To them there was no second place.
             Soon the American team would start playing exhibition games to get themselves ready for the Olympic games the next year. First they went to Europe for a series of games. They came out strong, winning six out of their first eight, but Brooks kept pressing. In a game against Norway, consi...